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John Sheldon (1658-1733) Snowshoes

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.Contact us for information about using this image.

Snowshoes, which were described in 1666 as similar to a "Rackett tyed to each foote"use a similar technique to basket-making, and were used by the French, the English and Native peoples to travel through heavy snows. John Sheldon (b.1658) of Deerfield, Massachusetts, was sent three times by Governor Dudley to Canada to retrieve New England captives, some of whom were taken in the Deerfield Raid of 1704. He made his first journey in the winter of 1705 and the last in 1707. He was able to return a total of 113 English captives who had come from different parts of New England.